Israeli singer-songwriter Ehud Banai’s music transforms Beit Guvrin caves in immersive exhibition

The ancient Bell Caves at Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park have become the backdrop for a unique immersive art experience titled "The Eighth Sound." This exhibition merges the evocative music and writings of acclaimed Israeli singer-songwriter Ehud Banai with the striking video art of Ronen Tanchum. The approximately 40-minute presentation surrounds visitors with music, projected images, and light, transforming the subterranean space into what its creators describe as a "womb of the earth."

Launched by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, the exhibition is the seventh contemporary art installation in the caves since they were repurposed as an unconventional gallery. The concept originated from Banai's profound reaction to the caves themselves. These man-made caverns, carved during the Byzantine and Early Arab periods, possess a distinctive bell shape designed to ensure structural integrity. Banai described his initial visit: “On my first visit to the cave, I felt as though I had crossed into another dimension, like entering a giant womb.”

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On my first visit to the cave, I felt as though I had crossed into another dimension, like entering a giant womb. The Gemara tells us that a fetus in its mother’s womb possesses the highest level of consciousness.

The exhibition delves into themes of transition and consciousness, drawing parallels between a fetus in the womb and the human journey of recollection. Banai connected this to mystical traditions, referencing figures like the prophet Elijah and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, whose spiritual experiences were linked to caves. The concept of the "eighth sound" represents something beyond familiar cycles, symbolizing hidden consciousness and forgotten universal secrets learned in the womb, which life gradually helps humans to recall.

The soundtrack features new arrangements of Banai’s well-known songs, alongside his first recorded performance of "Atuf Berahamim" ("Wrapped in Mercy"). The exhibition uses AI imagery and music to reshape the historical Bell Caves, offering visitors a deeply personal and contemplative experience that bridges ancient history with contemporary art and technology. The exhibition runs on selected evenings from July through November.

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It is about transitions: from pregnancy to birth, from reality to dream, from life to what lies beyond it, from a cycle of seven days and seven notes to the eighth day and the eighth sound.